A Celebration of Citron

 “It looks like the beginning of an idea about fruit, a rough prototype made at an early stage of the design process, a crude unfinished thing, a dinosaur that evaded extinction, a Neanderthal on a tree.”

That is how Helena Attlee describes the Citron in her amazing book, The Land Where Lemons Grow, a unique culinary adventure through Italian citrus history. My first experience of the fruit was one of amazed bewilderment. Apart from being enormous, the fruit resembles a kind of citrus, but it appears more ancient. Looking at the bowl of Citrons on the dining room table I was reminded of the fruit’s rich history. It was like having a bowl of history on the table. The heady fragrance of the Citrons filled the room and soon permeated through the rest of the house. 

But, I am getting ahead of myself. The bowl of history landed on the table through the generosity of a friend who has access to a Citron tree on a family farm at Swellendam. Apart from the history of the fruit, I was gifted with the agricultural history of Swellendam and the region at the same time.

Orange and lemon trees were introduced to the Cape in 1654 from St Helena and planted in the Cape Town Company Gardens, but the history of how and when the Citron itself came to South Africa is not very clear.  It was possibly brought to the Cape for domestic culinary reasons. There is enough evidence that Citron preserve was made at the Cape in the 1700’s and possibly before that. In her cookbook, Hilda’s “Where is It” of Recipes, published in 1891, Hildagonda Duckitt records a Citron Preserve recipe from her grandmother’s recipe book. I trust it would be her maternal grandmother, Maria Catharina Persoon, 1760 – 8 June 1834. I muse that she in turn might have inherited it from her grandmother, Margaretha Hattingh, 1700 – 8 April 1779.

Still Life with Bowl of Citrons, Giovanna Garzoni, 1640

To discover that Hildagonda Duckitt was my fifth cousin, twice removed, was a pleasant surprise. Searching for the origins of traditional recipes took me back to my own origins and gave me more to chew on than just Citron preserve.

The historical culinary author, A G, Hewitt does not indicate the origin of the citron preserve recipe that she recorded in Cape Cookery: Simple Yet Distinctive, 1890.

With a generous number of Citrons in the house, I set out on a discovery of how to use this great- great grandfather of all citrus fruit. In the book, The Land Where Lemons Grow, Helena Attlee explores the colourful past of six different kinds of Italian citrus and their contribution to the history of Italy. One of these is the arrival of Citrons in second century Calabria.

Mosaics dating back to the  4th century AD, at Villa Romana del Casale, depicting citrons 

The chapter on the Citron explores its culinary uses and the pursuit of the perfect Citron by Jewish people for use in a religious ritual celebrating the holiday of Sukkot. During this harvest festival the etrog (Citron) is the centerpiece of the tradition. Some devout buyers will even pay thousands of dollars (US) for a single perfect specimen.

A citron next to a matchbox for size comparison

Inspired, I decided that I wanted to make as many dishes as possible with the Citrons,  using every part of it from the rind to the pith and the flesh. I made Cedrello, a liqueur made by infusing the peel and zest of the Citron fruit in alcohol. I used the pith to make Citron preserve, candied Citron peel, and Insalata di Cedro. With the centre fruit part, I made a Citron syrup that can be topped up with sparkling water to make the refreshing drink Cedrata.

Towerwater Cedrello

It is truly amazing what one can make with Citron, and I have not yet explored all the savoury dishes for which one might use the pith. But that will have to wait until next Citron season. Marveling at all the produce that I could make from Citron, I still detect the bright, crisp citrus fragrance of the Citron, with its additional notes of subtle floral, herbal, and even slightly bitter undertones, lingering in the rooms of Towerwater.

Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Candied Citron Peel
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad

Candied Citron Peel

Candied citron was popular as early as the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The first recipes for candied citron were recorded by the the unknown author of the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook Kanz al-Fawa'id fi Tanwi' al-Mawa'id, translated as Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table.

Bartolomeo Scappi's 16th-century cookbook, Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi, includes recipes for candied citron, which he called "cedro," as part of the elaborate meals of his time. He detailed the process of candying the thick, edible rind of the citron, in his recipes. The candied citron was often used as a sweet treat as well as a flavour component in other dishes. Over 700 years not much has changed in the culinary use of candied citron.

 A painting of the Medici citrus collection c.1715 by Bartolomeo Bimbi

I used the recipe for candied citron peel in Annette Human’s book, Lekker vir Later published in 2002. It is a voluminous cookbook that has a recipe for seemingly everything that can possibly be done with vegetables and fruit.

Candied Citron Peel
Lekker vir Later, Annette Human, 2002

Cut a thin slice of peel from the stem and blossom ends of 2 large citrons. Make wide vertical cuts from top to bottom all the way through the peel to the flesh of each citron. Remove the strips of peel and cut them into 1 cm wide strips.

Quickly boil the peels in 2 litres of water until they are so soft that a match can easily be inserted through them. Drain the peels.

Slowly heat 500 ml of water and 400 g of white sugar to the boil, stirring at the beginning until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the stove and place the peels in the syrup. Leave to macerate at room temperature for 8 hours.

Heat the syrup with the peels very slowly until the peels have absorbed all the syrup. This should take about half an hour; keep a close eye on the peels, especially towards the end, to ensure they do not burn. Carefully remove the peels with kitchen tongs and leave to dry on aluminum foil for 12 hours.

The next day, roll the peels one by one in white sugar until well coated and leave to dry on a wire rack for about 3 hours.

Pack the sugared peel between layers of wax paper in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

I could not find a recipe for candied citron in Hildagonda Duckitt’s, Hilda’s “Where Is It “of Recipes, published in 1891. She did however share some recipes that included candied citron, like macaroons and plum pudding. I share them in this post for anybody that might like to explore the culinary possibilities of this delicacy even further.

Macaroons (Another Recipe)
(Mrs. J. Cloete’s)
Hilda’s “Where Is It “of Recipes, Hildagonda Duckitt, published in 1891

Ingredients:

1lb. Almonds blanched and pounded.
The Whites of 4 Eggs.
1 lb. sifted Sugar
½ teaspoonful of Cinnamon.

Blanch and pound the almonds, adding a little rosewater while pounding. Mix with the sugar, which should be slightly warmed, then stir the whites of the eggs well whisked. Butter a paper and lay it on a baking-pan; with a fork put small lumps of the paste on the paper. Bake in a moderately slow oven for twenty minutes. A small piece of candied citron stuck into each little cake is a great improvement. Very good.

Pudding (Plum).

(Old English Recipe.)
Hilda’s “Where Is It “of Recipes, Hildagonda Duckitt, published in 1891

1 lb. Raisins.
1 lb. Currants.
1 lb. Beef Suet.
½ lb. Candied Citron,
¾ lb. Sugar.

Ingredients.

7 Eggs.
2 oz. Flour.
1 tablespoonful of Mixed Spices (Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg)
1 tumbler of Brandy

Stone and clean the raisins, wipe the currants ; cut the beef suet very fine, also the candied citron ; whisk the whites and yolks separately ; mix all together. Boil in a well-floured cloth, or mould, for six hours. Improves by being made weeks before, and kept till wanted. Very good.

 

It is clear from Hildagonda Duckitt that preserved citron was popular in English and Dutch recipes.

Other Citron Recipes

Citron Preserve
Cedrata - Citron Syrup

Cedrello - Citron Liqueur

Insalata Di Cedro - Citron Salad